eli5: Why and How do humans use body language, sometimes without realizing it?

Question

Seems like it’s a language that all of us understand (more or less) but it’s really not widely talked about & we use it without realizing we’re using it. Explain please. Thanks

In: 0

Answer 1

Before humans were even humans (earlier apes) we communicated completely with grunts and body language. That didn’t go away just because we figured out how to talk to each other. So, there is a lot of things we tell each other with facial expression, blushing, body posture, and pheromones that we don’t even necessarily notice consciously. That used to be the only way we told each other things.